Separating and grading machine



April 22, 1930. c, sT u 1,755,277

SEPARATING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed June 7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l .PeZer 61 Jada v. INVENTOR.

' Ema- 4 ATTORNEYS.

April 22, 1930. P, c, S'TAUP 1,755,277

SEPARAT ING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed June 7, 192'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 147mm: Peier C JZQd U. V EN u u A TTORNEYS.

r amed A rQiZZtIQSO I 1,755,277

PETER c.;sriiu 1 or SHEFFIELD, ALABAMA SEPARATINGAND- ena'mne MACHINE Application filed am, 1927. Serial No. 197,174.

,This invention relates to improvements. in I Fig. 1 is a side elevation o f-the machine separatlng and grading-apparatus andmore embodying thelnvention; particularly to a machine for use in separat 7 Fig; 2 is a vertical frontto rear sectional V ing nuts from twigs, leaves, and other trash View therethrough;- ,n qfi'wandfor grading the nuts according tosize. -Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine, 55 In" gathering nuts, they are ordinarily one corner of the screen frame .being'broken I shaken fromthe trees onto sheets of canvas away; I v V i I stretched beneath the trees and when the F ig. .4 isa vertical transverse sectional view trees are shaken, leaves, twigs, parts of taken substantially on the line i 40f Fig- 10 branches, and other trash will fall with-the- 'ure '1 looking in the direction indicated by nuts and considerable time and labor, must the arrows; i 3 f be spent in separating the nuts 7 from' the Fig. is a similar view taken on the line trash.; Therefore thepresent invention has 5 --'5 of F igure'l looking in the direction iny as its primary objectto provide a machinedicated by thearrows. V f v a -1 whichiwill perform this task automatically The machine embodying the inventionin- 65 and expeditiously. g V j cludes, in its constructioma frame which is v Anotherobject'of the invention is to proin icated in general bythe "numeral 1 and 'videa machine for the purpose stated of Which mp s fr nt nd rear pairs-of e f- 7 simple construction and capable of operating H r up ights indic ted respec ively by the 9 in ahma nner to thoroughly disintegrate the n m rals 2 and 3, these uprights being con- 7. mass of material to be separated, namelyithe 'l t d. and relativelyfbraced at their upper nuts and the trash,;deposited therein, so as n by r i n at th r W i d by' to obviate the loss of nuts by reason of failure other -il The uprights 2 are braced to beseparated fromthe trash; 1 with respect to each other by upper and lower The machine embodying the i'nventionfinrails 6 and 7 and-the rear uprights3 are rela- "J cludes a vibratory: and reciprocating screen ve y braced by upp r and lowerrails 8 and a d v a f i tin ti n, t th The numeral 10 indicates a hopper which screen,and another object 'of'theinvention is S mounted at its pon t e pp r mi to provide, in connection with the screensand is e eppo e upon cross bars 3 surface, means for'eife'cting automatic aline- :a dl W h Xt nd'EbetWeen 'the upper' '8 mentoftwigs and pieces of branches with E h se bars o t ti g r spec' the screen wires iii-the event of the said iv y h ront a lm m e s f iscre twigs or'piecesofbranches assuming a trans- 5 t d rme b rsrof which frame are verse position' uponthe screen wireswhich n lca d y h u a 1 1 frame is would otherwise tend to clog: the machine and supported between the top rails 4,5 and th interfere with its proper operation. I Q Q i PP I P P e Wi han 7 Another objeet of he invention is to pro pp m 'l v h reglstersl-wlth t p s f r -vide,'in a machine of the class described, a f frame" screen Wlres a e nova-arrangement: whereby n of dip at their endsto the front and rearfaces of b e a it?of11231?it;Ztltfitfififitfitifii .1? r e h nuts to direction and parallel to each other and I v iffg i a t serve tocollect and retainrelativfely long 7 I v 3 .ml e 9 5 9 9. 'lengths'ofbranches and likewise long twigs 45 novel meanscfor Wet ing, b for permitting the passage of shorter lengths t on'to'the screen as tisrec procated so; as f h t h; j' 1 7. r 1 k I Q S i 0f e g flg i d s n g' The numeral l6indicates-vertieally disc gration of the mass-ofinaterial deposited posedtside boards whichlare' i' eunted in thereon. downwardly andforwardly incline d position so 1 In the accompanying drawings extending between the respectiveonesof the i so corner uprights 2 and 3 at the opposite sides of the frame, and track rails 17, which may be in the nature of wooden beams, are secured to the opposing sides of the boards 16 along the lower edge portions thereof and support the screen holding'frame of the machine as will presently be explained.

The screen holding frame of the machinei-s of sheet metal and is indicated in general by the numeral 18 and the said frame comprises side members 19and' front and rear end members 20 and 21, the frame being of rectangular form and having its walls formed at theirlower ends with-inwardly projecting.

supporting flanges 22. The numerals 23 and 24 indicate screens which are removably mounted Within the screen holding frame 18 and the screen 23 comprises a rectangular frameincluding sides 25, a'rear end 26, and a front end 27, the frame being removably fitted into the upper portion of the screen holding frame 18 with its sides 25 engaging the sides 19' of the said frame 18- and with its rear end 26' abutting against the rear end 21 of said frame 18', the lowervedges of the walls of the frame 23 resting upon the flanges 22 as clearlyshown iirFigures 2'and 5 of the drawings. A sheet metal crbss piece 28, preferably of hollow form and having a front wall parallel to the front wall 27Iof'the screen frame 23,and"a rear wall inclined downward- 1y andre'arwa'rdly from'the upper portion of the front wall, is secured at its ends to the side walls 25 of the screen'frame 23 and extends transversely of the said frame, the crosspiece being provided at one or more points" at its upper: edge with an upwardly projecting pin 29 which servesa purpose to be presently, explained. The screen members of the screen 23 are indicated by the numeral 30, and as will be observed by refer ence to Figure 5 of the drawings, each of these screen member's comprises 'a bar which Cir is vertically disposed within the frame of the screen andwhich is de'creasedin thickness from its upper to its lower edge so that its opposite side faces are downwardly: converged and meet at the lower edge ofthe bar. These bars are arranged parallel-to one another and are spacedapartasnitable distance to serve the purpose of the invention, and by reference to the'several figures of the drawings it will be observed that the bars eXtendbet-ween,and are supported by, the rear and front ends 26 and of the frame of thescreen, and through the cross piece 28, the upper edgeof the cross piece and his upper edges of'the said barsoccupying common plane. 7 The screen 24% likewise comprises a rectangular frame Including side members 31 and front and rear-end members ndestee ed-very. ,sc'reenis dis posed -'\vithin'tl1e frame 18 in advance of the screen 'wi'tli th'e'side mem-bers31 in contact "with the-eras members 18 o'f 'the 'the wheels with the abutments.

In order that reciprocatory motion may be screen holding frame 18 and withthe front Wall 82 in contact with the front Wall 20 of the said frame .18, the rear wall 33 of the 7 frame ofthescreen 24 abutting against the front wall 27 of the frame of the screen 23, as clearly shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings. The screen members of the's'creen 24 are indicated by the numeral 34 and correspond to the members of the screen 23 and are similarly arranged oXcept that they are spaced apart a distance greater than the spacing of the members 30 of the said screen 23 as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4: of the drawings. V i

The screen holding frame 18 is supported for reciprocation upon the track rails-17 by suitable Wheels 35 which are ourn'aled upon stub shafts projecting from the side members 19 of the frame and it will be evident by refere'nce to Figure 4 of the drawings that the frame is guidedin its reciprocatory-n iovement between the side boards1'6 ofthe frame structure. Series of front and rear abutments 36 and 37 are mounted upon the upper side of each track rail 17 and corresponding abutm'ents of the two series upon each rail are spaced aparta {distance substantially equal to the spacing of the wheels 35 and are so positionedas to be inth'e path of travel of the Wheels in the reciprocatory motion of the screen frame on the track rails 17", it being understood that asthe wheels ride over the abut-ments, which abutments have arcuate upper sides, vibratory motiorr'willf be imparted to the screen framedue to the imparted to the screen frame, a shaft 38'is journaled in suitable bearings upon therear corner uprights3' and isprovidedwitha crank 39 to which is connected one end ofa pit-man rod 40, the other end of the rod being connected as at 41 to the rea rend me'm b'e1j21 of'the frame18 A crank handle l2jis provided upon one end of the shaft '38 and constitutes means whereby the shaft may be manually rotated, or if desired, mechanical power may be applied to the shaftfr'om' any suitable motor and by any suitable arrangementof gearing;

In theoperation of theflmachine, rotary motion is imparted to the shaft 38 and this will result in reciproca'tory motion being imparted to the screen frame-18 The nuts-and trash mixed therewith as shaken from the tree and gathered onthe canvas stretched-beneath the tree is introduced into the hOpperIOQ-and passes through the opening l l and ontothe V screenv1'5 where the largerpiece's oftrashwill accumulate and may be removed from time to time as occasion may require The smaller pieces of trash and the nuts will passthrough the screen comprising the screen wiresfo and fall onto the screen 23 comprising thei'bars 30 and theseba'rs' are sb's'paesdrha the trash" impact of J will pass between the same butthenuts of all sizes will be retained upon thescreen. As

thescreen is reciprocated, it will at the same: time be vibrated as previously explained and the trash will fall through the screen and into a trash box 43 arranged beneath the screen frame. The nuts will in the meanwhile travel down the screen and any'twigs or particles of branches which become lodged transversely on the screenmembers26 will be engaged by the pin 29 and caused to assume a position parallel to said members and fall between the sameso that the machine will not become clogged. The nuts will travel downwardly alongthe screen members 30 and onto the v 7 members 30 of the screen 24 where'the nutswhich have lost their shucks willrpass between the members'SO and into a nut receiving box' the machine.

44, while the nuts which are still in their shuc'ks will travel downwardly and be deliv- V ered to a basket 45 arrangedat the front of A baffle plate 46 is secured to the under side'o'f the screen holding frame 18 and extends transversely between the lower edges v of the side members 19 of said frame, this 7 plate being located to extend forwardly beyond the plane which will be occupied by the rear wall 33 of the screen24 when'the said screen is in place within theframe 18, as clearly shown in Figure2 of the drawings, so as to prevent any of the nuts which are delivered from thescreen 24, dropping into nut receiving box 44.

A'baflie plate 47, similar to. the plate 46,

the trash box 43 or between said box and the V is secured to the under side of the front wall 20 of the frame 18 and projects forwardly beyond the forward end of the saidframe and serves to insure of delivery of the nuts which are still in their shucks, into the basket 45 and prevent these nuts entering the box 44 which is designedtoreceive the nuts from which the shucks have been shed. a V

It will be understood from the foregoing description of theinvention that the screens 28 and ,24 may bemade in different sizes or PETER C. STAUP.

in other words may have their screen memu '7 bers spaced apart different distances, so that there may be a desirable interchange of the 7 screens of different sizes in accordance with the average sizes of the nuts to be separated.

It is to be understood, of course, that various changes may be made, within the scope of what is claimed, withoutdeparting from the spiritof the invention.

7 Having I claim s I In a machine of the classdescribed, a frame,

thus described the inventiom whata screen mounted in the frame, means for im- )ilIt-lll reci )rocator movement to the screen the screen including a frame and screen bars extending longitudinally therein, a I cross piece extending within the said screen frame transversely of the screen bars with its upper 

